Tropicana Trop50 recently released their new line of Trop50 juice beverages Tropicana Trop50 with Tea!  I have been a big fan of the Tropicana Trop50 line since it first came out because their beverages have 50% fewer calories than regular juice beverages and it is not sweetened with artificial sweeteners.  Tropicana Trop50 is sweetened with PureVia which is a zero-calorie, all natural based sweetener which I find does not leave any nasty aftertaste which I absolutely despise in most lower calorie drinks.

Tropicana Trop50 is found in the chilled aisle, the line includes Trop50 Peach with White Tea, Trop50 Raspberry with Green Tea, and Trop50 Pear Lychee with White Tea.

I was able to find and try out 2 of the 3 flavors-the Raspberry with Green Tea and The Pear Lychee with White Tea.  The Peach with White Tea has been sold out every time I get to my supermarkets so I am holding onto my last coupon to try out this flavor when I can find it.  I loved both of the flavors I tried with my favorite being the Pear Lychee with White Tea!!!  I find that the Tropicana Trop50 with tea is a perfect beverage to rehydrate with after a hot day because it is flavorful, refreshing and not overly sweet.

The plan this morning was to get up and run at 5:30 to beat the heat.  Reality was that I woke up at 5:30, felt crappy and went back to sleep.  Sometimes your body just needs sleep and mine needed it this morning because with all this hot and humid weather I have also been getting migraines practically daily including yesterday so sleep was more important than running this morning.  The bad part was that I knew I would have another hot and sticky run after work.

I waited for Chris to get home and we went for a 2 mile run which was more than enough for me in the humidity.

After running I did 30 minutes of yoga with Abby!!  Abby loves to do yoga with me and she told me today she wants a green and pink yoga mat, not blue like mine because she doesn’t like blue…lol!!  I have to look into getting her a kiddie yoga mat….any suggestions?!?!

I finished the Joggermom Marathon!!!  I actually finished it on 5/17 but I have been so busy I haven’t had a chance to send my pic until today.

The challenge was to run 26.2 miles from May 1st – May 31st and I am happy to have completed it injury free!!!!

Tomorrow I plan to run 3-4 miles hopefully in the am but we will see how I feel.  Let the streaking continue!!!!

How do you deal with running in the hot and humid weather?

I knew when I got up at 5:30 this morning I should have run my mile but instead I went back to sleep.  By 10:00 am it was already a hot, humid 82 degrees definitely not ideal running weather.  By the time I got home from work and headed out to run an easy mile it was just as hot and humid at 86 degrees.  It was a torturous mile that left me soaking wet and dripping sweat but at least I completed day 2 of the #RWRunStreak!

After I cooled down from the run I did some yoga to stretch out my aching muscles and shins.  Doing yoga everyday has made an enormous difference in my recovery from runs, I feel less tight and achy!  I plan to continue to try to do some form of yoga everyday!

After dinner Chris, Abby and I headed out for a couple of miles on our bikes.  A nice cool breeze had kicked in by the time we went for a bike ride which made it much more pleasant than my run.  Tomorrow my plan is to get up early to get my run in before work and before it gets too hot out.

The winner of my GYMBOSS giveaway is:

Congrats Jennifer and please email me your address!!!

Are you doing the #RWRunStreak??

Today I started the Runner’s World run streak today by running a sweaty 4 miles with Sarah from Running to Keep up with a Toddler AKA @100calspermile.  We were dripping sweat by the end of the 4 miles die to the humidity and heat, not fun to run in the heat but a great run anyway!!!

This run was a great way to start the streak!!!  Thank you Runner’s World for getting me out there and running!!!  If you want to join the #RWRunStreak check out all the details on their website and be sure to leave me a comment with your twitter handle so I can follow along!!  Use the #RWRunStreak hashtag for motivation and encouragement from all the participants!!!!

It was hot and humid but we achieved the mile goal we set out to do so it was a win no matter how hard it was to achieve!  I was a sweaty mess (as you can see) by the end!!!

After I ran Chris wanted to go out of a bike ride so we did about another 2-3 miles on the bike!!!

Abby loves riding on the bike which is great considering I foresee many more bike rides in our future!!!

How did you spend your Memorial Day???

 Yesterday Chris and I rode our bikes 4.5 miles to Jones Beach with Abby to watch the Air Show.  We had to walk about a mile from where we parked our bikes to the beach and it was packed but well worth the trip!!!!

I have already run 4 sweaty miles to start off my #RWRunStreak and later today we have a BBQ at my mother-in-law’s house!

How are you spending this Memorial Day?!?! 

A few weeks ago I got an invite to the Technogym designer preview in SoHo, this looked like equipment I would love to have in my home so I invited my friend Crystal to come with me for the drive into Manhattan for this event.  I am a born and raised Long Island girl but my trips into Manhattan have been few and far between until this past year where I think I have gone to the city more times than I have in my entire life!!!  Soho is a pain to get to from Penn Station so the plan was for Crystal to drive into the city and for me to drive home which would by my first time driving in Manhattan.

Monday night after work we left Long Island at 4:30 and arrived in the city at exactly 6:00 p.m. thanks to the torrential rain and the GPS taking us through the streets of Brooklyn.  We found a parking lot a few blocks away and thankfully the rain had subsided so we had a dry walk to the event.

We arrived around 6:15 p.m. pretty much right after the even started and it had yet to get too crowded.  We walked around, had a drink (I had Perrier) and some delicious sushi appetizers.  I met up with a few other bloggers:  Ashley from Freckles and Spice, Jillian from Sprinkle Massacre and Katie from Healthy Diva Eats.   We chatted, grabbed a few pics and got leather bracelets courtesy of A.B.K. 

After the bracelets I headed over to meet Josh Holland (Madonna’s personal trainer) who showed us how the Kinesis personal gym worked:

I questioned Josh whether or not this could really give me a good workout and he proved to me it absolutely could, now I need to convince my husband to buy me one.   You can read more about kinesis training here.  The highlight of my night was when we were taking to Josh and my friend Crystal told him I was a nurse he said, “A hot nurse”.  I immediately texted my husband and told him….he appreciates me everyday but it always nice to hear it from someone  else, especially someone who trains Madonna!

Josh was awesome!!  He was a genuinely nice guy, not that I expected anything else, and he gave us some awesome tips!!!  Thanks so much Josh!!!!  You can find Josh on his blog, Facebook and Twitter so be sure to check him out!!

I loved all the equipment they had displayed from the bikes to the elliptical trainers to the treadmills!!!  They had monitors with internet capability, I mean I could blog and walk on the treadmill…….how much better can you get?!??!  The cost of the items were a little out of my price range ranging anywhere from $6,000 and up but if I had the the extra cash I would definitely invest in this equipment.

Technogym has many pluses associated with their equipment:

• Use of renewable materials:  Technogym is made of 95% of recyclable materials.
• Reduction/elimination of toxic substances:  Technogym uses water based paints with no chromium-plating.
• Built to last:  Technogym products have a very long average life.
• Energy efficient:  Technogym products are designed to be energy efficient.
• Less and reusable packaging:  Technogym delivers products in folding containers which can be reused which reduces the use of new packaging material.

I love that Technogym is an environmentally conscious company that makes quality products that I had the opportunity to see first hand.  Here are some of their commercial products that you may see in gyms:

The equipment was awesome and so were the views!  I personally have never been to an event in SoHo and am looking forward to going back!  Before Crystal and I left to go get some dinner in Chinatown we met another awesome blogger Jocelyn from Peace Love Nutrition and she was awesome, I look forward to meeting up with her again!

After the even Crystal and I headed to Chinatown for an awesome dinner, you haven’t had chinese for until you have eaten in Chinatown!!!!

After we ate I drove home…….my first time driving in the city!!!  Yes I know it was 9 p.m. and there was not traffic but it was still a big accomplishment for me, especially driving over the Williamsburg bridge where the lanes are super tiny.  Crystal and I survived and were home safely in about an hour!!!

It was an awesome night out and an awesome event.  Thanks Michelle for the invite!!!!

What is your favorite type of exercise equipment?

Sweat to Street Sundays is a fashion link-up hosted by some fabulous fellow FitFluential Ambassadors!!

Stop by and check out the fabulous hosts of this awesome link up:

• Family and Life in Las Vegas (Emily)
• Wild Things RUN Free (Charlotte)
• Running and Cupcakes (Samantha)
• MCM Mama (Erika)
• Boobs, Barbells, and Broccoli (Tenecia)

What is Sweat to Street exactly you ask??  Here is the description:

“Sweat to Street has been created as a place to link up your favorite outfits of the week as a new Sunday blog feature. The idea is to have some fun and change it up! Each week we encourage you to post one workout outfit and one outfit you wore that isn’t fitness related.”

Here is my Sweat outfit this week featuring workout wear from American Apparel:

Top: Express

Pants: American Apparel

Sports bra: American Apparel

Left pic: American Apparel Sports Bra

Right top: American Apparel Sports Bra

Right Middle: American Apparel Shorts

Right Bottom:  The handy little pocket in the shorts with my iPod in it!!

“American Apparel Launches Activewear Line

American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the launch of a new fitness and activewear line: American Apparel Active. The new linewill launch with three key women’s pieces–a fitness pant, motion short andsports bra–with many new styles for men and women to follow.

“Our basics have always been great components for working out in and now the options are about to get even better with the addition of these new fits and fabrics,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Active will not only be priced to compete with activewear market leaders, but will be produced by the American Apparel factory where the hallmark ethical manufacturing principles make this activewear group an Made in USA alternative to off-shore produced fitness wear. The line will feature high-tech wicking fabrics with drying capability, nylon micromesh spandex (a first for American Apparel) and cover stitching–all for improved comfort and performance. The initial launch will include six colors: Sunshine State, Factory Grey, Black, Lipstick Red, Cameo Blue and Orange.

American Apparel Active will launch in the United States and expand globally in time for summer. It will be available in stores and online in sizes XS-L with more new styles, sizes and colors to come soon.”

I loved all the workout clothing that I tried from American Apparel!!  I tried the sports bra, pants and shorts and each piece was super comfortable during my runs!!  I actually wore the shorts under a looser pair of shorts because I am not comfortable in such tiny shorts while running and they helped prevent the chafing I sometimes get when running in looser shorts plus they have a handy little pocket for my iPod.  The sports bra was one of the most comfortable sports bra I have ever worn, the material is super soft which felt amazing against my skin and did not cause any chafing or irritation at all!  I felt well supported during running and all my activities while eating it.  I would definitely recommend all of these items!!

You can check out American Apparel on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Disclosure:  I received these items from American Apparel for free.  All opinions expressed in this blog are 100% my own.

My Street outfit:

Top: Sweater is Mossimo from Target

Dress:  Mossimo from Target

Shoes:  Kohl’s

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!!!  My recap of the Technogym designer preview will be up by tomorrow!!  I am also going to be hosting a “Welcome to Summer” virtual run 6/18-6/25 with some awesome sponsors, stay tuned for the registration post this week!!!!

The weather in NY this past week has been pretty crappy  Rain and humidity have taken over but I had high hopes today the sun would shine because that is what the weatherman predicted but it didn’t, that’ll teach me to listen to the weatherman.  I have resigned myself to running in the rain and I am planning on being happy about it so I figured I would get my chance today after work but it stopped raining and I was left to run in a cloudy, humid 75 degrees……I was wishing for rain.

I am always happy to run but this 4 miler proved to be difficult as you can see by the last mile.  When I hit mile 3 my legs just felt like lead and it was rough but worth it!!!  No matter what, good or bad, I always feel better after I run.

When I got home I went on Twitter to find a not so nice remark to my retweet of McDonald’s tweet that they were sponsoring the Rock’n'Roll run in San Diego.  Check out how the conversation flowed:

I have no problem with people expressing their opinions but when the come in the form of personal attacks I get slightly upset.  First of all I like McDonald’s and they are not responsibility for the obesity epidemic in the United States.  I think we can safely say that everything on McDonald’s menu is not healthy but you can make healthy choices at McDonald’s if you choose.  I love some of their healthier items like their Southwest salad with grilled chicken and I also love some of their not so healthy items like Big Mac’s and french fries.  I try to make healthier choices every day and I haven’t had a Big Mac in over a year but if I wanted one then I would have one because I also believe that you can have everything in moderation while living a healthy lifestyle.

People tend to blame places like McDonald’s for being overweight but that’s like blaming Morton’s salt for hypertension, just because it’s there doesn’t mean you need to eat it.  As a healthcare professional I am also empathetic to people who have difficulty losing weight for reasons beyond what they eat and I know it is not so easy for everyone but if you are trying to lose weight you should not be eating high calorie fast food everyday because you will not lose weight that way.  Again, we all make our choices, McDonald’s does not kidnap people and force them to eat their food.

As far as the personal attack goes, I have never claimed to be the epitome of health, I am just a regular person trying to live as healthy as possible.  I have never claimed to be anything but who I am which is a work-in-progress trying to motivate and inspire others to do their best everyday.  I am far from perfect and I do make unhealthy choices but when I do I let it go and move on and I make my next choice healthier one.  I also believe that everything can be enjoyed in moderation and that we should not live in deprivation because health not about being perfect it is about finding a balance that works for you.

I try to respect everyone’s opinion whether or not I agree but when personal attacks are made it is hard to overlook the attack and listen to or respect anything that particular person was saying in the first place.  As a healthcare professional I educate people everyday on diet, health, their diseases and how they can live healthier, what I find in my field is that when you are respectful of others and their opinions even if you disagree then they listen to you and respect what you have to say.

After this whole tweeting incident I was a little worked up and quite annoyed so I decided to run again with my husband.  He usually only does 2 miles so I figured this was a doable distance after running 4 miles just a couple hours before we headed out.

I felt much better after running the extra 2 miles bringing my total to 6 miles for the day!!!  Running truly makes everything better!!!!

How do you deal with negativity and personal attacks?

I promised myself when I started running again I would cross train with weights or functional exercises in addition to running but I have not lived up to that promise. Since the Best Body Bootcamp ended at the end of April I did Jackie Warner’s program for 10 days and then nothing but yoga and running.  The problem is that I honestly do not have time, between work, family, blogging, running and yoga there is literally no time left in the day.  I am not trying to make excuses but I am just stating facts so instead of doing nothing I have decided to come up with a solution to this problem.

My solution to this problem is Tabata training.  Tabata training is falls under the category of high intensity interval training and it consists of 20 seconds of intense training followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.  Tabata was founded by Professor Izumi Tabata and his studies have shown that this type of exercise improves both aerobic and anaerobic systems.  So if you want to burn fat, improve endurance and increase strength in a short period of time then Tabata is the workout to do!!!

I have put together a 5 Round Tabata workout that utilizes 2 alternating exercises for each round with 1 minute rest in between each Tabata for a full body workout that can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

My best friend during Tabata training is my GYMBOSS Interval Timer!!!

From the GYMBOSS website:  ”The GYMBOSS is a small, easy to use, repeating interval timer. This multi-use timer has many versatile functions that make it beneficial to virtually any type of exercise program.”

I have tried to use many apps on my phone and iPad for Tabata training but nothing I have found compares to GYMBOSS!!! This portable clip-on timer lets me focus on my workouts instead of the time, when my GYMBOSS beeps I know it is time to switch gears.  In addition to Tabata training you can use GYMBOSS for Tabata training, running, weight training or just about any exercise that requires a timer.  If you don’t already have a GYMBOSS it is definitely worth the investment.

If you would like your very own GYMBOSS you can enter my giveaway below using the Rafflecopter form.  I will pick a winner on Tuesday!!  Goodluck all!!!

Disclosure:  GYMBOSS provided the item for the giveaway.  I was not compensated in any other way for this post and as always all opinions are 100% my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This morning the weather looked gloomy and rain was predicted for the whole day so I was faced with the prospect of running in the rain or running on the dreadmill at Planet Fitness.  Neither option left me sprinting to the door to get my run on so naturally I did what everyone does when they don’t know what to do………I tweeted my options and requested feedback.

Every reply I got to this tweet said to run in the rain!!!  This particular reply really got me thinking:

I never really thought about the fact that if and when I do decide to run in the rain I would really need a backup pair of sneakers because the ones I wore would probably need a few days to dry.  Thanks Krissy for the good advice!!

With the prospect of running in the rain looming all day I thought about what would absolutely keep me from running in the rain and I came up with this list:

• Temperature:  It must be over 50 degrees.  While the prospect of running in the rain is not particularly appealing to me I am willing to do it as long as it is above 50 degrees, anything below that would just be way too cold!  Running in the cold rain is definitely out!
• Light to Moderate rain only:  Light to moderate rain is okay but running in torrential downpours is definitely out mostly because I think it would be potentially dangerous.  One reason is that when it rains that hard visibility is reduced and drivers will be unable to see you running, plus when it rains hard on Long Island everyone seems to forget how to drive safely.  The second reason is that I am bound to slip and fall or step in a deep puddle which would just make the rest of my run very uncomfortable.
• No Thunderstorms or Lightening:  Checking the forecast right before going out is a must because running in a thunderstorm with the possibility of lightening is just not smart.  I absolutely do not want to get struck by lightening, hit by hail or hit by falling branches or trees.